Numbers drawn for record Powerball jackpot

Chicago -- The numbers have been drawn for the record Powerball jackpot and the wait for winners -- if any -- has begun. The numbers drawn Wednesday night are: 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 and Powerball of 6.

Americans went on a ticket-buying spree in recent days, boosting the Powerball jackpot to $550 million earlier Wednesday, though the final jackpot amount was likely higher. The big money enticed many people who rarely, if ever, play the lottery to purchase a shot at the second-largest payout in U.S. history.

Patrick Semansky / The Associated Press

Among them was Lamar Fallie, a jobless Chicago man who said his six tickets conjured a pleasant daydream: If he wins, he plans to take care of his church, make big donations to schools and then "retire from being unemployed."

Tickets were selling at a rate of 130,000 a minute nationwide -- about six times the volume from a week ago. That meant the jackpot could climb even higher before the Wednesday night drawing, said Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association.

A lottery official said late
Wednesday that the jackpot had increased to $579.9 million by the time of
the drawing, making the cash option $379.8 million.

The jackpot had already rolled over 16 consecutive times without a winner, but Powerball officials said earlier Wednesday they believed there was a 75 percent chance the winning combination will be drawn this time.

If one ticket hits the right numbers, chances are good that multiple ones will, according to some experts. That happened in the Mega Millions drawing in March, when three ticket buyers shared a $656 million jackpot, which remains the largest lottery payout of all time.

Yvette Gavin, who sold the tickets to Fallie, is only an occasional lottery player herself, but the huge jackpot means she'll definitely play this time. As for the promises she often gets from ticket purchasers, Gavin isn't holding her breath.

"A lot of customers say if they win they will take care of me, but I will have to wait and see," she said.